Noise, fury, no blood in Portland

Far right rally and counter protesters avoid major clash

Hundreds of people gathered Saturday for a rally at a waterfront park in Portland, where far-right groups faced off with anti-fascist counterprotesters and brought much of the downtown area to a standstill.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation in Portland on Saturday, calling out the anti-fascist group known as Antifa on Twitter and suggesting support for labeling it a terror organization.

"Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an 'ORGANIZATION OF TERROR,'" he wrote on Twitter. "Portland is being watched very closely. Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job!"

Many of the far-right demonstrators support a bill sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, urging Congress to identify Antifa, short for anti-fascists, as a domestic terrorist group.

The rally was the latest in a series of vocal and violent political demonstrations in a city where protest is a rich tradition but residents have grown weary of saber-rattling on their streets.

For weeks, officials and residents feared a melee.

By Saturday afternoon, though, the tensions had not devolved into widespread violence. A few face-to-face confrontations broke out in the park as the rally began, but the far-right groups eventually moved behind a police line and were separated from the counterprotesters by gap that officers worked aggressively to maintain.

At times, police intervened in occasional skirmishes, but any physical disputes were brief and limited to shoving and grappling.

Later, the right-wing protesters left the area and crossed the nearby Hawthorne Bridge to the east side of the city.

But members of the anti-government militia known as the Three Percenters and a few others stayed on the west side of the river, and Antifa members followed them through the downtown streets shouting at them to leave the city.

A White House spokesman did not respond to an email seeking an explanation of Trump's tweet, as well as why he chose to target Antifa and not others involving in the escalating tensions.

But Trump has repeatedly sought to highlight incidents involving Antifa and has accused the news media of not giving the group's tactics enough coverage. He has often highlighted them amid criticism of the rhetoric used by white nationalists.

The most vocal promoter of the rally is Joe Biggs, who used to work for conservative conspiracy outlet Infowars. Biggs said he had organized the rally in response to the beating of conservative writer Andy Ngo in the clashes in June.

Many have blamed Antifa for the beating. No one has been charged in connection with the assault.